The country has reported nearly 1.3 million cases in the past two weeks, with the most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria being the hardest hit.
Companies have had to put plans to scale up activity on hold, report lower profits or plan for additional costs, as Omicron has put roadblocks in the works for companies hoping for a brighter outlook for 2022.
Here is a list of companies that have been warned of a severe blow from the epidemic:
Wesfarmers
The retail conglomerate said rising Omicron cases led to weaker Christmas trading conditions and lower footfall in its stores in the first half of January, while disrupting its grocery chain. supply and inventory availability as employees at its distribution centers were absent due to COVID-19.
Qantas Airways
The airline has reduced about a third of its planned domestic and international capacity for the March quarter to better meet travel demand after a rise in COVID-19 infections.
Virgin Australia
The airline has announced that it will reduce capacity across its entire network by approximately 25% for part of January and for the month of February, due to lower travel demand and the obligation to isolate personnel.
Bega cheese
The cheese maker issued a profit warning that sent its shares tumbling as it said the impact of COVID-19 had been “widespread and significant”.
Inghams Group The poultry producer said the rapid spread of Omicron was partly responsible for the impact on the supply chain, operations and sales. It said staff shortages due to COVID-19 were hurting its production volume and operational efficiency. (Compiled by Indranil Sarkar and Shashwat Awasthi; narrated by Shounak Dasgupta)